Girl on Fire
by akat24
Summary: Their eyes met, his suddenly a weird shade of green, and Faith saw it; a glimpse of something behind the nerd facade. Something that promised violence and death. And she wanted it. Prequel to 'Unfamiliar Road'.


**Spoilers:** BtVS through Season 4's "Who Are You?" and the 2008 Incredible Hulk movie  
**Disclaimer:** BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon. The Avengers, the Incredible Hulk, and Bruce Banner belong to Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Marvel Comics.  
**Warning:** Some foul language. Because this is Faith.  
**A/N:** This takes place immediately after the BtVS "Who Are You?" episode and the very beginning of the The Incredible Hulk, when Bruce Banner is fleeing from the USAF and eventually ends up in Rio. Also, even though the film had Ed Norton as Bruce, I'm basing him off of Mark Ruffalo's portrayal, both for consistency and because he was just plain awesome. :)

This was inspired by Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire", which I think perfectly captures Faith. Prequel to 'Unfamiliar Road'.

* * *

Hatred.

Anger.

Jealousy.

Defeat.

And so fucking lonely she could cry.

It was the story of Faith's life, one she should've been used to by now. In the quiet of the train car, though, as she sat wedged between some crates, still raw from her last little adventure in Sunnydale, she could admit that it hurt.

She could even admit that, as much as she hated Buffy and her perfect life, she hated herself _more_ for fucking up over and over again.

Not that it mattered. There was no going back, not for someone like her. She wasn't the golden girl, whose sins would be forgiven, no matter how badly she burned people or how many times she broke the rules.

She had no family and no friends. She was the slayer no one wanted around. She was a murderer.

She was nothing.

The truth was like a knife to the gut – one specific knife actually – and it left Faith gasping for breath.

Instead of letting it swallow her whole, though, she did what she always did, what she did best. She lashed out.

She heard a loud crack as she made contact with the wooden crates, heard the way they came apart under her fists as whatever was inside spilled on the floor.

She never felt a thing, though, not a single splinter, nothing. And yet she felt too fucking much. So she just kept hitting and hitting until there was nothing left to hit except a pile of demolished crates that looked as broken as she felt.

Breathing heavily, Faith sunk to the floor, head buried on her knees, refusing to look at the pile of rubble at her feet.

That was when she heard it; a noise from the far end of the car, almost like a sigh of relief.

Faith was on her feet in two seconds flat, her fists at the ready and she ruthlessly pushed aside all her emotions. Except for one.

Because, yeah, she was _pissed_ that she hadn't detected anyone before this, that she let her fucking _feelings_ get in the way.

But even more than that, she was angry that someone was there to see her weak like that.

Even if they wouldn't live to tell the tale.

"Show yourself," she demanded.

There was a long pause; then someone stepped out from the other end of the car; a slightly nerdy looking, timid yuppie in clothes that screamed 'the Gap'.

Faith let out a short, humorless bark of laughter. She was looking for a fight right about now, and this schmuck didn't look like he could go three rounds with a pocket protector.

Guess she'd have to improvise.

With a casual smile, Faith sauntered toward the guy.

Her smile grew wider when the guy didn't move, even when she was less than a few feet away. Then he actually took his eyes completely off her to look at the broken crates instead.

Faith went to move in, to show him just how stupid he really was, when he glanced back at her.

"You're angry," he noted. "It's not good to hold on to that kind of anger. Believe me, I know."

And wouldn't you know? His expression was filled with _sympathy_ of all things.

Faith paused, frowning as she wondered where the hell this guy got off, acting like he understood her, and more importantly, why it made her feel so uneasy.

Then she caught herself, crossing her arms over her chest as she rolled her eyes, deciding to let this play out a little more, just for shits and giggles.

"Spare me the lecture. If you want to get all touchy feely, I know a certain blonde you could look up, hug it all out," she smirked. "Besides, my anger is what gets me going in morning. Why the hell would I want to deny it?"

The guy's eyes went wide at this, the sympathy instantly vanishing. For a split second, Faith could've sworn he was looking at her like she was the Second Coming. Then it was gone, and it's is place was _pity_.

Faith was on him in a flash, her lips curled into a snarl as her hands coiled around his shirt, ready to do whatever it took to wipe that look off his face.

The guy started to panic.

"You don't want to do this," he pleaded.

Faith sneered at him, at his fear. "Oh, I think I do. Gotta pass the time somehow, right?"

And with that, she smashed her lips to his, right before she threw him bodily down the length of the car.

He hit the wall with a satisfying crunch, landing in a heap on the ground.

Faith stalked over to him. There was no way she was going to let him lose consciousness before she'd had her fun. As she leaned down to grab him, though, he whipped his head to look up at her, faster than she would've thought possible.

"No!" he shouted, his voice tinged with desperation as he scrambled to his feet, leaning heavily against one of the walls for support. "Stay back!"

Then their eyes met, his suddenly a weird shade of green, and she saw it; a glimpse of something behind the nerd facade. Something that promised violence and death. And she wanted it.

It surprised the fuck out of her. She didn't question it, though, not when it felt so right.

Her palms literally itching now, she lunged for the guy. His eyes went wide with fear – fear that she was beginning to suspect had nothing to do with her.

Then he yanked on something behind his back. The car door opened with a jolt, and the bastard jumped.

"No!" Faith shouted, reaching the opening in two long strides.

She leaned out of the car, her hair whipping around her face as she quickly scanned the area, but there was nothing. He was long gone.

Faith let out a stream of curses then, but they were swallowed by the rush of the night air. Somehow it made everything worse.

Completely worked up into a rage now, Faith turned to anything she could get her hands on, starting with the car door.

This wasn't a fucking peep show. She had gotten a peek behind the curtain, where he'd dangled the promise of peace, of making it all stop, and now she wanted to see it all. She needed to.

But he was gone and she was alone. Again.

Story of her life, right?

Faith sank to the floor.

It didn't matter. She would just find someone else, someone who would finish the job. She wouldn't give them a choice.


End file.
